On the off chance you were concerned that conversation and analysis about the Patriots' drive for a perfect season will ratchet Super Bowl pregame tension to unbearable levels, you can count on Fox Sports chairman David Hill to burst that particular balloon.

Well. I don't know about you, but I'm already taking the Super Bowl a lot less seriously.

Seacrest also will introduce the pregame show's musical numbers, including a taped performance of Idol judge Paula Abdul's new single, performed with fellow judge Randy Jackson. Alicia Keys, Willie Nelson and Sara Evans also are scheduled to perform. Last year's Idol winner, Jordin Sparks, will perform the national anthem.

The red carpet arrivals aren't the only Super Bowl Sunday gimmicks on Fox's menu. The network earlier announced plans for a three-hour show, beginning at 8 a.m., mixing football with coverage of the Super Tuesday presidential primaries. In that vein, by the way, Fox said the pregame show also will feature a segment encouraging voter registration.

Hill, of course, is fully aware that purists may recoil at mixing show biz with football but said, "We hope to balance both and have something for everyone. And if the criticism on the Monday after goes
50-50, we did our jobs."

Jury out on figure skating

It's a put-up-or-shut-up weekend for the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which has moved its national championships to escape the NFL playoffs and will receive from NBC the prime-time access that had been denied by ABC and ESPN in the last decade.

Unlike last year, when ESPN shuffled the sport into outer darkness, this week's championships at St. Paul, Minn., has prime real estate on NBC at 3 p.m. Saturday for the pairs free skate and ladies short program, 7 p.m. Saturday for the dance final and ladies free skate, and 6 p.m. Sunday for the men's events.

"The measurement is, can figure skating start itself as a TV sport without a whack on the knee? Can it in and of itself come back?" said Button, who is attending his 55th nationals but his first as a broadcaster
for any network other than ABC/ESPN.

Four DVRs, no waiting

Longtime Clear Channel Radio sports hand Robert Henslee is moving next Friday to KILT (610 AM), where he will compile afternoon drive news updates and coordinate news coverage as the station's sports director. Also, former KILT producer Chance McClain has joined KGOW (1560 AM) as a contributor in programming, promotions, marketing, Web site issues and sales. ...

HBO Sports stays with a familiar sport for its first 2008 documentary, Joe Louis: America's Hero ... Betrayed, a biography of the legendary boxer that premieres at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Its second entry, however, veers into new territory for the network — the 1960 U.S. Open featuring Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

"You had three generations of stars. Each had a unique relationship with his father, and each grew up in a different era, and there they were, fighting it out on the back nine at Cherry Hills," said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. "It's a rich story in a sport that we've never wandered into." ...

The Giants-Packers game on Fox last Sunday drew 53.9 million viewers, becoming the most watched non-Super Bowl program on TV since the Seinfeld finale in 1998 drew 76.3 million. Patriots-Chargers on CBS drew 44.8 million viewers. The combined audience was the highest since the 1994 season. ...

Golf Channel analyst Kelly Tilghman began the network's coverage of the Buick Open
on Thursday by offering a taped apology for recent remarks about Tiger Woods. "I used an inappropriate word that was offensive to many," she said. "Over the last two weeks, I've taken the time to reflect and truly understand the impact of what I said. While I did not intend to offend anyone, I understand why those words were hurtful. I
am terribly sorry for any hurt that I've caused. I would like
to express my deepest apologies." ...

ESPN's SportsCenter at 10 p.m. Sunday profiles the legacy of Army Pvt. Nick Madaras, a former high school soccer player who was killed in 2006 in Iraq. Fulfilling a request Madaras made before his death, family friends have sent more than 1,500 used soccer balls, inscribed with his name, to be distributed by U.S. soldiers in Iraq. ...

FSN Houston at 10 p.m. Saturday recaps the recent Bryant Award banquet at
which Kansas coach Mark Mangino was named the 2007 college football coach of the year.